Chapter 12 Dynamics of Behaviour Notes

Personality Chapter 12Personality The distinctive and relatively enduring ways of thinking feeling and acting that characterize a persons response to life situations The thoughts feelings and actions that are seen as reflecting a persons personality typically have 3 characteristics1 Identity Seen as components of identity that distinguishes that person from other peopleYou are like no one else2 Internal Causes Behaviors are viewed as being caused primarily by internal rather than environmental factors Its inside you not the environment3 Organized The persons behaviours seem to fit together in a meaningful fashion suggesting an inner personalitythat guides and directs behaviour The pattern fits together and has meaningThe Psychodynamic Perspective Psychodynamic theorists look for the causes of behaviour in a dynamic interplay of inner forces that often come into contact with one another Focus on unconscious determinants of behaviourFreuds Psychoanalytic TheoryConversion Hysteria disorder in which physical symptom such as paralysis and blindness appeared suddenlywith no apparent physical causeFreud concluded these patients symptoms were due to painful memories and feelings that seemed to have been repressed or pushed out of awareness when patients were able to reexperience these traumatic memories and feelings often sexualaggressive their physical symptoms often disappeared Freud was convinced that an unconscious part of the mind exerts great influence on behaviour Studied with hypnosisdream analysisPsychic EnergyMental Events Freud believed instinctual drives generate psychic energy which powers the mind and constantly presses for either direct or indirect releaseMental events can be Conscious mental events we are presently aware ofPreconscious contains memories thoughts feelings and images that we are unaware of at the moment but later can be called into conscious awarenessUnconscious a dynamic realm of wishes feelings and impulses that lies beyond our awarenessThe Structure of Personality Freud separated personality into 3 separate structuresID exists totally within the unconscious mind The innermost core of the personality the only structure presentbirthsource of all psychic energy Operating according to the pleasure principle seeks immediate gratification or release regardless of rational considerationsenvironmental realitiesEgo functions primarily at a conscious levelit operates according to Reality Principle It tests reality to decide whenunder what conditions the ID can safely discharge its impulsessatisfy its needsSuperego the moral arm of the personality develops by the age 5 or 4 What is right and wrong and how the child should beConflict AnxietyDefenceDefence Mechanisms deny or distort reality pg514 gives all defence mechanismsRepression the ego uses some of its energy to prevent anxietyarousing memories feelingsimpulses from entering consciousness May be expressed indirectly as in slips of the tongue or in dreamsSublimation completely masking the forbidden underlying impulsesEg Hostile impulses can be channeled into tracking down criminals